Does evening primrose oil work for inducing labor?

DOES IT REALLY WORK? IS IT HARMFUL TO THE BABY AND HOW DO U USE IT? PEOPLE SAY U RUB IT ON UR CERVIX BUT HOW DO U REACH IT'??? im 39 wks 2.5 cm 70% effaced

Does evening primrose oil work for inducing labor?
i am a nurse and have treated people whom have tried that if u want a terrible labor and delivery try it id wait till mother nature says its time
Reply:I have been taking 2,000 mg of EPO orally for the past 2 weeks (I am almost 38 weeks) and the past 3 days I have been using 1000 on my cervix at night. I haven't experienced any mucus or loss of plug until today, a little stringy mucus. So I think it might be working - but I do know it DOES NOT INDUCE LABOR - it simply helps to soften the cervix. And, I was informed by my obgyn, midwife, and birthing instructor that it IS SAFE and can't hurt to try it. The way I put it in vaginally is I break open 2 capsules and put the oil in a little medicine syringe (like a baby dropper- clean with alcohol) and insert it that way - I know you can put the pills in there %26amp; they will dissolve, but I feel better about the oil being directly on the cervix. If you are comfortable putting your fingers in there you can also squeeze it on your fingers %26amp; rub it onto the cervix. I have a hard time reaching it that way. WALK A LOT TOO!!! good luck!
Reply:Ya know i have heard to try nipple stimulation, try to go to this web site (natural births) i think that is the key words you can type in
Reply:Anytime you try and self induce it's harmful! I know you want this baby to come now but he is not ready. You are to close to your due date to jeopardize his safety and your own, please don't try it. How guilty would you feel if you did harm to him? Good luck and God bless
Reply:Please just let nature take it's couse. It's better that way!
Reply:Just thought that I'd add that Castor oil can be toxic and you should keep far away from it while pregnant.I've heard arguments either way on EPO but I'm willing to bet that the nurse that commented is probably right.Just wanted to warn you about the castor oil.
Reply:only if ur body is ready to go into labor
Reply:I have heard a lot of weird crap in my day, but I have never heard that one. You could always but some on the end of your husbands erect penis and then have sex with him. Some people say that semen causes labor to begin...double whammy! (I wouldn't use EPRO if I where you. Seems that it could cause a bacterial overgrowth)
Reply:Well, I never heard of evening primrose, but I do know that castor oil works. It's awful tasting though - you need some orange juice to swallow it with. When someone first told me about it, they said that it helped the baby slide out. Yeah, Right! Okay! I thought these people were crazy - I'm an educated woman and I know that swallowing oil is not going to make a baby "slide out". So I called my mother who is a nurse, and she said that since it's a laxitive, it makes the bowels start moving and that usually helps start the contractions. In the old days, the nurses used to give women enemas to help induce labor. I drank the castor oil with my 2nd child, and, it definitely worked.
Reply:I heard spicy foods do like hot sauce.
Reply:Evening Primrose Oil contains prostaglandins and is used by many midwives for labor induction. Many doctors will argue that it does nothing but it certainly won't hurt to try. Insert a capsule into your vagina at bedtime and it will dissolve or break the cap and rub the oil on your cervix--it can be hard to reach so try sitting on the toilet or have your partner do it for you. If you aren't ready to go into labor it will do nothing.
Reply:EPO does not induce labor. It helps to ripen your cervix. It's safe to use....every midwife I've ever known recommends it. Take two capsules and insert them up near your cervix before bedtime. If you want, you can prick them with a pin and squeeze the oil out and rub it into your cervix. Make sure your hands are clean and nails are well trimmed. I found the best way to reach was either sitting on the toilet or standing with one foot up on the side of the tub.